JOYA HEADS EAST, LOOKS FORWARD

When Frederick Bouchard, founder of artisanal candle line Joya, decided to venture into the world of fine fragrances, he looked at industry norms—and then did the opposite.

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Instead of utilizing a typical chemical cocktail, Bouchard went with perfume oils, which he prefers because the smell differs person to person, evolving with the wearer over time. He also traded the standard spray bottle for something a bit more interactive: Pull out the long, skinny porcelain applicator and use it to manually dab the oil on your wrist or neck. And then, of course, there's the little fact that the wand is dipped in 22 carat gold, though you wouldn't know it when the bottle is sitting on your dresser; while other brands might coat the entire bottle in bling, Bouchard chose to keep the luxe touches out of sight.

"It's a surprise, part of the discovery of the fragrance," says Bouchard of the line, called FvsS, adding, "It's a cool un-American thing."

That he said all this from a uniquely Japanese sparse-but-cozy café on a sidestreet in a ritzy Tokyo neighborhood yesterday only drives home his point. While the two fragrances have recently been stocked, sans fanfare, by just three stores in the US, Bouchard flew out to Japan to fête the launch in the Asian metropolis. "I've always been inspired by Japanese packaging—it's meant to be functional and protective, but also inspiring. Joya's products are gifts, they're indulgences, so they need to be special."

Indeed, with limited edition runs and high-grade ingredients, Bouchard views Joya as an affordable luxury. "Americans have only recently gotten into hand-crafted [items]. There is less disposable income, so people are re-thinking their purchases. " But just because the brand emphasizes the premium and precious doesn't mean that it's not forward-thinking as well; in addition to a series of solid perfumes in brass pendants and brooches hitting stores next month, Bouchard is looking to push the boundaries of fragrance and technology with...scented plastics?!?

"Yes," says Bouchard with a smile stretching across his face. "What we're looking at now is innovating and inspiring in unexpected ways. Everything we do has to incorporate fragrance in some way—because we love it."